Hey guys, first tech question here. On my recently purchased 06 F model, I feel like my steering is off center a bit. IE: to go straight, i feel like I have the bars turned ever-so-slightly to the right. This feeling is furthered by looking at the fairing curve from the dip in between the gauges, I can tell that I'm not looking at the center because the line is higher on the left and lower on the right (if that makes sense). Now, I know the bike had been laid down before around 30 mph, so this could be caused by that. It doesn't seem to affect much, just feels weird at first. Even so, I'd like to fix it.

Where do I start looking?

When the GS gets dropped and lands on a handlebar end the front end gets twisted out of place.  I've straightened mine a few times.     In most cases just loosen the fork brace and the triple clamps with the bike on centerstand and it will spring back into place with no damage done.  Once I had to loosen the large chrome nut on top of the steering stem too but it's not necessary to disturb the bearing adjustment underneath it.

Thanks a lot. I'll give that a shot.

put clip-ons on  it will fix your issue and get rid of the fugly stock bars at same time 

Forgot to mention, check your rear wheel alignment too.  If the rear wheel is turned a bit out of line the handlebars will be turned a bit too when going straight down the road and the bike will be running doggy down the road.

Good point. How would I check that? Just eyeball it?

I messed with my triple clamps and stuff but I'm not sure I was fiddling with the right nuts 'n bolts. I snapped a few pictures of my front end with my camera to show the problem, let me know if you have any more ideas, or if you can elaborate on the previous ones.



And I'm pretty sure the fender is on straight.

I'm with GS jack.  

Like he said it's easy, but to elaborate more (if it helps).  With bike on center stand...

1.  Loosen all 4 fork brace bolts.  (4mm allen???)
2.  Loosen the axle pinch bolt.  (10 or 12 mm bolt by the front axle that runs perpendicular to the axle on the side opposite the speedo drive)
3.  Loosen both lower fork clamp bolts  They're 14mm.
4.  Loosen left upper fork clamp bolt.  It's a 6mm allen.
5.  Grab the shiny chrome part of the left fork and twist.  It'll spin in the fork clamps.  The whole fork might slide up in the clamps a little.  No big deal, just slide it back down till the fork cap is the same height above the triple clamp as the other side.
6.  Tighten the left fork clamp bolts to 16 ft/lbs for the upper, 21 ft/lbs for the lower.
7.  Loosen the right upper fork clamp bolt.
8.  Twist the shiny fork part on that side.
9.  The fender is probably now straight with the tire.  If it's not, you'll have to loosen the top steering stem bolt before continuing.
10.  Tighten right fork clamp bolts to 16ft/lbs for the upper, 21 ft/lbs for the lower
11.  Take bike off of center stand and sit on bike.
12.  Squeeze front brake while pushing forward on bars.  Front suspension will compress.  Repeat a few times.
13.  Without disturbing the front end too much, have someone tighten that 10mm bolt by the axle to 18 ft/lbs.
14.  Tighten fork brace bolts snug.
15.  Enjoy.

Someone correct my mistakes if you see any.  

Thanks a million for that step-by-step. I'll print it and give it a shot tomorrow.

Its good advice, but I did that to mine and it didn't help....turned out I had a bent fork. Its not a big job to pull the forks out and have a good look at them if you're not sure they're straight.
Good luck.

If thats misalignment its severe, it wouldnt surprise me to find something is actually bent/damaged. Looks like the RH fork has been pushed back and is dragging the wheel over.

looks to me like your triples aren't tightened down. if you look at the bottom of the forks the one on the right is twisted back which means the top of that one is forward and so forth. re-align and tighten them properly. Also could be bent fork. we need pics from the sides, and different angles

So, I loosened everything as directed, my left fork shiny part twisted around just fine, but the right would twist about 1/5th the way and then stop. It would do the same the other way. Bent fork?

Also, could this be the probelm:
Fork Brace
That metal plate between your forks does more than hold your front fender on.  This somewhat flimsy piece of metal is your fork brace.  It holds the forks rigid against all those cornering forces that would like to splay them out like a wishbone.  If you crash, the mounting holes get stretched or ripped out, but the bolts usually stay put.  You might not notice this damage when you inspect the bike because the bolts are still there, but you will certainly learn about it in the next corner.  The other common problem in this area is that the 4 bolts attaching the brace to the fork often loosen and eject themselves.  The result is the same as when the brace is broken; you go down in a corner wondering what made the bike throw you off.  You will also annoy the guy behind you when the bolt goes through his radiator at 120 mph.  The fix is easy: Inspect the brace after a crash, and use thread lock, safety wire or duct tape to secure the bolts.


NOTE: THIS ISN'T MINE, I HAVEN'T LOOKED AT MINE YET

Maybe...

You should have loosened those 4 brace to fork bolts to align the forks, so just pull 'em out and check.

As a last resort, you can try loosening up the steering stem bolt (the big one on top pointing down into the stem) and then twist the fork to see if it helps.  Sometimes the upper and lower clamps get kind of twisted in relation to each other on the stem, and the steering stem bolt keeps everything from popping back.  It's pretty unlikely, though, especially considering that one fork spins just fine.

Usually just loosening up the fork clamp bolts causes everything to pop back into alignment.  Since that didn't happin, something's probably bent.  

Quote from: ineedanap on January 31, 2010, 07:43:09 PM
Maybe...

You should have loosened those 4 brace to fork bolts to align the forks, so just pull 'em out and check.

As a last resort, you can try loosening up the steering stem bolt (the big one on top pointing down into the stem) and then twist the fork to see if it helps.  Sometimes the upper and lower clamps get kind of twisted in relation to each other on the stem, and the steering stem bolt keeps everything from popping back.  It's pretty unlikely, though, especially considering that one fork spins just fine.

Usually just loosening up the fork clamp bolts causes everything to pop back into alignment.  Since that didn't happin, something's probably bent.  

Thanks for your help. I already tried the steering stem. Guess something is bent. Should I just replace the fork, or consider a front end swap? I still have some time before things warm up. Do swaps (like the 600 kat) work with the F model? I'd like to keep the fairings.

you're going to need to take your front end apart,  but I"d think its safe to say you have a bent fork tube.  this is easily fixed by replacing it with a new or used one that ISNT bent.        for now, I'd park the bike until undamaged parts are obtained, for safety reasons.

What Bob said ^.
I had a front end that looked just like your pics when I bought my bike and thought I just needed to realign the forks, but I had a bent tube. (Luckiliy the vendor was a nice guy and bought the new tube for me!!). The fact that your right tube doesn't want to rotate is 99% confirmation that its bent.
Removing the forks is an easy job on a naked, I don't think it would be any harder on an F. Do that, and you'll know for sure.
Note that all fork tubes are not the same. You need the right one for your year model if you're just replacing the tube. If you get a whole second hand fork tube/leg assembly then other years may fit fine, but you might end up with different damper valving on the old and new leg.
I guess its time to decide between a new tube or a different front end.
Good luck!

Obviously you guys can't know for sure without looking at the piece personally, buuuut:

Would part 10 be all I -probably- need? It's 250 bucks!

Yes, most likely that's all you'll need. It is also possible that your lower triple clamp could be bent. If it is only slightly bent you can bend it straight by using the old fork leg (ask for more detail if it is bent).
The guy who got my fork leg had contacts in the industry and got one direct from the manufacturer in Spain at about half the Suzuki price. Don't ask me how!!

Quote from: the mole on February 01, 2010, 11:24:31 PM
Yes, most likely that's all you'll need. It is also possible that your lower triple clamp could be bent. If it is only slightly bent you can bend it straight by using the old fork leg (ask for more detail if it is bent).

This is not a idea I would recommend.   without high end professional machinery, there is absolutely no way to know that your triple is 100% straight, so attempting to straighten it yourself isnt a good course of action IMO.  for safety sake, I'd just replace it if I suspect its bent.